Dealing with slow play

Andrew Manning

Andrew Manning

Aspiring know-it-all
Silver Member
I'm looking for advice on how to keep slow play from throwing me off my game. I played a guy in my league last week who is absolutely glacial on the pool table. He looks at the shot forever even when there are very few decisions he could possibly be making about how to shoot it, he lines up on the object ball with his cue to find the contact point, and looks at that for a long time, and then finally lines up on the cue ball, only to take about 58 practice strokes.

Thing is, after all those signs that he has absolutely no confidence in his decisions, his aim, his alignment, or his stroke, he shoots pretty accurately, and plays position decently for shots with easy position. So he's likely to run 4 or 5 balls at a time at this pace, and so every time I let him to the table, by the time I get back I've forgotten what day it is, much less my shooting rhythm.

Not only does it destroy my rhythm and take me out of stroke, but it exasperates me to no end while I'm sitting and watching, meaning when I do get to the table, I'm playing frustrated, and missing easy shots because of it. Furthermore, I can't find my natural speed anymore, and I end up shooting way too fast as if to compensate for his slowness.

Now this guy is an extremely nice guy, and I'd feel bad if I told him to speed up, since he's just trying to play his best game, and since I generally shoot better than him, it would seem like I was just picking on him. But I lost the match even though anyone in the league would say I'm the far stronger player, because I beat myself mentally. What do you recommend I do to stay calm and play my game when the other player is that slow?

-Andrew
 
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Slow play what are you complaining about. If you have an issue about it let your tournament director know and be one of those tough guys that has to whine about every little thing.

The one time I got a pool tutor she told me make sure you go through you pre-shot ritual. If my ritual is to have 59 practice strokes than that is what I am going to do. Usually I just chew on something really crunchy. The gum is to squishy sounding I prefer chips or pretzels.

And if its league play giving suggestions or feedback in a well versed manner can help than to just ignore the problem.;)
 
Ditto! I have seen players the same exact way. I can't stand it either! I feel like I just came in from the cold to play, meanwhile I've been there warming for 2hrs. Best thing to do is take your time for the first couple of shots until you find your rhythm again. If you take your time setting yourself up for your run then he shouldn't be able to complain about it. Worst part is that these matches last forever because of this slow guy. But you gotta just take it and remember to take your own time to warm up to your pace again. What I find helps is just watching the table and looking for all the possible options you have if he misses this shot. You'll definitely have more thann enough time to analyze the table with the slow poke shooting. When its your turn, it leaves less for you to think about in running out.
 
Don't miss.

Sit down, order a drink of whatever (water, Coke, Beer (mmm...beer), Scotch) and let them play. When they miss, it will be your turn.

Sorry to sound cold but I'm not a fan of the "bang-em-in-hard-n-fast" world of 9-ball. Shot clocks are a joke designed to keep play fast-moving for people with short attention spans. I would much rather sit back and enjoy a century run if even I had to do it from my chair.

Of course, there will always be those who say that some players are deliberately, painfully slow if only to throw their opponents off. If you play a fast-paced game and are faced with a slow player I'm sure it could rattle your nerves. There will always be those who try their best to win on their own terms because they can't match up evenly. Take it in stride.

Here's one last suggestion that is more action than thought...

Nothing is more disturbing than finding out your opponent lost interest because you took too long. Play them for money, miss on purpose and then walk out in the middle of their run. Next time you see them, just ask, "Hey, are you still playing that shot?"
 
When you get to the table make every shot count, Think of different ways you would run the rack while you are sitting down, keep focused on the game at hand. Because if you think about it its no different then sombody putting a three pack on you. It most likely would take the same amount of time. Unless Your Luc.:)
 
mmm...beer. And- I have that same puessy cat, but grown, at my house. You want mine too? I will give you $50 if you'll take her!

Ghosst said:
Don't miss.

Sit down, order a drink of whatever (water, Coke, Beer (mmm...beer), Scotch) and let them play. When they miss, it will be your turn.

Sorry to sound cold but I'm not a fan of the "bang-em-in-hard-n-fast" world of 9-ball. Shot clocks are a joke designed to keep play fast-moving for people with short attention spans. I would much rather sit back and enjoy a century run if even I had to do it from my chair.

Of course, there will always be those who say that some players are deliberately, painfully slow if only to throw their opponents off. If you play a fast-paced game and are faced with a slow player I'm sure it could rattle your nerves. There will always be those who try their best to win on their own terms because they can't match up evenly. Take it in stride.

Here's one last suggestion that is more action than thought...

Nothing is more disturbing than finding out your opponent lost interest because you took too long. Play them for money, miss on purpose and then walk out in the middle of their run. Next time you see them, just ask, "Hey, are you still playing that shot?"
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Theres nothing u can do about slow play unless he is trying do it intentionally. Dont let it get to you. Keep yourself busy and when its your turn, make him pay for it. One thing you could do is to mentally figure out how to run that rack if you were him. Keep yourself focused. Once you let that get to you, you are finished.
 
As it's a league thing... you might consider, the next time this happens, taking the other team's captain aside and speaking with him/her on the subject while it's happening. Let the slow player's captain deal with his teammate.
 
Have a little fun ...

I get sarcastic:

I have a dentist appointment tomorrow morning and I want to make it.

I used to think everyone's brain operated at the same speed, but it is simply not true, is it?

When it is finally your shot, get to the table, look at the balls carefully, then lay your stick on the table, and say, 'I am going to take a dump, but I will be done in the same amount of time you were'.

Start singing 'Step by Step' by Whitney Houston.

Ask them if decisions are hard for them.
 
I'm sure this isn't what you wanted to hear but, slow play only bothers you because you let it. it's the same as loud music, noisy railbirds and scantily clad women. It's your choice that lets you be distracted by the little things. You should have patients for people that are learning the game. we've all been there.

Sit down when it's not your shot, get up when it is. Simple as that.
 
Simple. Don't pay any attention whatsoever to the way your opponent plays. Your thoughts should be about the table when you're there and nothing else when you're not. If you get into all that slow play or personal approaches mumbo jumbo you'll lose focus. All that stuff is for discussion away from the table and in practice. If you cannot just set that aside when you play, you won't succeed (and it's not just against slow players).

Remember, the opponent isn't throwing you off your game. You're throwing yourself of your game.
 
Andrew Manning said:
I'm looking for advice on how to keep slow play from throwing me off my game. I played a guy in my league last week who is absolutely glacial on the pool table. He looks at the shot forever even when there are very few decisions he could possibly be making about how to shoot it, he lines up on the object ball with his cue to find the contact point, and looks at that for a long time, and then finally lines up on the cue ball, only to take about 58 practice strokes.

Thing is, after all those signs that he has absolutely no confidence in his decisions, his aim, his alignment, or his stroke, he shoots pretty accurately, and plays position decently for shots with easy position. So he's likely to run 4 or 5 balls at a time at this pace, and so every time I let him to the table, by the time I get back I've forgotten what day it is, much less my shooting rhythm.

Not only does it destroy my rhythm and take me out of stroke, but it exasperates me to no end while I'm sitting and watching, meaning when I do get to the table, I'm playing frustrated, and missing easy shots because of it. Furthermore, I can't find my natural speed anymore, and I end up shooting way too fast as if to compensate for his slowness.

Now this guy is an extremely nice guy, and I'd feel bad if I told him to speed up, since he's just trying to play his best game, and since I generally shoot better than him, it would seem like I was just picking on him. But I lost the match even though anyone in the league would say I'm the far stronger player, because I beat myself mentally. What do you recommend I do to stay calm and play my game when the other player is that slow?

-Andrew
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I let it get to me a bit last night. I started timing how long it took him to shoot. Usually about a minute and a half. Playing straight pool, I'd think, "ok, he's got the 14 all the way down and that's it." A minute or two later he'd come to the same decision and start lining it up... with about 10 backstrokes.
As the time was going by, during the second game, I was just thinking F#$@ this guy, I'm gonna just hit em and get the heck out of here.

Unfortunately for me, he won both. Hard to keep up interest in the game as the night wore on. A guy came by and said you guys still playing. I said "we got a rule, you gotta take at least 3 minutes a shot". I don't know if he liked my sarcasm, but he probably liked the wins.
 
justnum said:
Slow play what are you complaining about. If you have an issue about it let your tournament director know and be one of those tough guys that has to whine about every little thing.

The one time I got a pool tutor she told me make sure you go through you pre-shot ritual. If my ritual is to have 59 practice strokes than that is what I am going to do. Usually I just chew on something really crunchy. The gum is to squishy sounding I prefer chips or pretzels.

And if its league play giving suggestions or feedback in a well versed manner can help than to just ignore the problem.;)
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Andrew, I once read that buddy hall said if a guy is playing slow on you you play even slower. He will either speed up or you will stay at the table longer.

hope that helps

or you can bring a gameboy haha
 
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Like some of the other replies, I have little sympathy. Slow play is just part of the game. As we all know, the mental game is a huge factor. You just need to find a way to deal with this.

I prefer straight pool, so sitting a long time between turns, even against player that play relatively quickly, is common. The thing I have discovered is that it is not the time but the rate that gets under my skin. That is to say, if a guy leaves me sitting for 15 minutes while he runs 30 balls I am not bothered. If a guy leaves me sitting 5 minutes while he runs 3 balls I am bothered a good bit. To combat this, when I am playing a guy that plays very slow, I will just walk off at times and go to the bathroom, bar, over to friends, whatever. Each time I walk away I am sure to tell them to keep shooting – I will be right back. Sure, sometimes this will bother the slow player, but that is their problem, not mine. Anything to keep from having to watch the slow player take 15 warm up strokes just to stand up and look at the shot again. I will also bring a magazine or newspaper sometimes.
 
I was not talking about

supergreenman said:
I'm sure this isn't what you wanted to hear but, slow play only bothers you because you let it. it's the same as loud music, noisy railbirds and scantily clad women. It's your choice that lets you be distracted by the little things. You should have patients for people that are learning the game. we've all been there.

Sit down when it's not your shot, get up when it is. Simple as that.
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I was not talking about beginning players, I understand about that, I was referring to players within 2 balls of my speed up or down that take forever to shoot, and they have been playing a long time. There is absolutely no reason for players that have shot for years to take that long, and sometimes it is a simple shot. And yes, some will do it trying to throw you off your game.
 
ScottW said:
As it's a league thing... you might consider, the next time this happens, taking the other team's captain aside and speaking with him/her on the subject while it's happening. Let the slow player's captain deal with his teammate.
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I play in a few leages, and this is the most effective and considerate way to accomplish this. Also having a fellow teammate do the talking can be quite effective as well. Chances are you may not shoot this guy for months/weeks, depending on how large your league is, so it may not even come up ever again.

Nobody wants to be out shooting league nights at 12:30/1:00 at night. Slow shooting has a negative effect on everyone.
 
Andrew Manning said:
I'm looking for advice on how to keep slow play from throwing me off my game. I played a guy in my league last week who is absolutely glacial on the pool table. He looks at the shot forever even when there are very few decisions he could possibly be making about how to shoot it, he lines up on the object ball with his cue to find the contact point, and looks at that for a long time, and then finally lines up on the cue ball, only to take about 58 practice strokes.

Thing is, after all those signs that he has absolutely no confidence in his decisions, his aim, his alignment, or his stroke, he shoots pretty accurately, and plays position decently for shots with easy position. So he's likely to run 4 or 5 balls at a time at this pace, and so every time I let him to the table, by the time I get back I've forgotten what day it is, much less my shooting rhythm.

Not only does it destroy my rhythm and take me out of stroke, but it exasperates me to no end while I'm sitting and watching, meaning when I do get to the table, I'm playing frustrated, and missing easy shots because of it. Furthermore, I can't find my natural speed anymore, and I end up shooting way too fast as if to compensate for his slowness.

Now this guy is an extremely nice guy, and I'd feel bad if I told him to speed up, since he's just trying to play his best game, and since I generally shoot better than him, it would seem like I was just picking on him. But I lost the match even though anyone in the league would say I'm the far stronger player, because I beat myself mentally. What do you recommend I do to stay calm and play my game when the other player is that slow?

-Andrew
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I used to have this problem playing competitive chess. I remember one game i played, It took me 6 minutes to win but my opponent 25 minutes to lose:eek:. That was a painful game for me. The biggest difference was that I could spend the time planning out my next moves based on what I was sure my opponent would do. And if my opponent didn't make the move I expected, even better because he probably made a bad move.

This experience was great for pool because I am used to players taking long time. Everything that happens from the chair is a state of mind. Ask yourself why is it a big deal that he plays slow? Do you have some pressing appointment to keep? Is the world going to end and you have to get in touch with your family and loved ones? Probably not.

My advice get something to drink sit back and watch. You can occupy your mind by trying to predict every shot he will take and how he will set up for the next shot. I am a fast player myself so i know how you feel.
 
There is really very little you can do to combat this other than get over it. And I don't mean that in a negative way. I mean when dealing with someone like this, just play the table and not the player. Play each shot one at a time and forget about 'shot clocks' (so to speak) or opponents, or even game results. Just step up to the table and try to zone in on the run. Look at the first ball and then the next.

After a while, slow play won't bother you because you'll be so relaxed at the table that while your opponent creeps closer to death between shots, you can laugh it up and have a good time with friends because when you do get to the table, you have now trained yourself to focus on the table alone AND you've given yourself confidence.

...of course, if he's doing it on purpose, kick him in the shins. :D
 
mthornto said:
The thing I have discovered is that it is not the time but the rate that gets under my skin. That is to say, if a guy leaves me sitting for 15 minutes while he runs 30 balls I am not bothered. If a guy leaves me sitting 5 minutes while he runs 3 balls I am bothered a good bit.
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Yeah, this is exactly the same for me. I play guys that can consistently run 7 balls or so in 8-ball, and it doesn't bug me so much, partly because I know they'll be wide open if I get to the table. But when I have to wait 4 minutes for him to make one and then miss one, it drives me crazy.

mthornto said:
To combat this, when I am playing a guy that plays very slow, I will just walk off at times and go to the bathroom, bar, over to friends, whatever. Each time I walk away I am sure to tell them to keep shooting – I will be right back. Sure, sometimes this will bother the slow player, but that is their problem, not mine. Anything to keep from having to watch the slow player take 15 warm up strokes just to stand up and look at the shot again. I will also bring a magazine or newspaper sometimes.
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This sounds like the best advice I've heard so far about this. Next time I play this guy, I'm going to step away and find someone to converse with to avoid watching him shoot. It's watching him that annoys me so much. I should figure out how not to do that.

-Andrew
 
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